Scott McLennan

Rock Concert Preview: Chuck Prophet’s “Wake the Dead” — Singing of Mortality

January 26, 2025
Posted in , , , ,

Predictably, Chuck Prophet’s brand of rustic rock ’n’ roll gets a bit of a makeover by the members of the Cumbia band ¿Qiensave? But let me reassure you — this is another gem of a Prophet album.

Read More

Rock Album Review: Iggy Pop at the Montreux Jazz Festival — Raw Power, Reanimated

January 24, 2025
Posted in , , ,

Bottom line: “Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 2023” captures the manic, mercurial energy that transformed the man born James Osterberg into the legend that is Iggy Pop.

Read More

Concert Preview: Karina Rykman Is Breaking Loose

December 2, 2024
Posted in , , ,

For the moment, bassist/ singer/songwriter Karina Rykman is pleased to be “riding an insane wave of adrenaline.”

Read More

Concert Review: Sturgill Simpson — Nothing If Not Chameleonic

November 25, 2024
Posted in , , ,

In this overstuffed show, Sturgill Simpson presented himself as someone who, after too long away from the stage, was back because he was in love with playing for the sake of playing. 

Read More

Concert Preview: The Dresden Dolls Return — Letting Out a Primal Scream

October 28, 2024
Posted in , , ,

“We want everyone to come and let out a primal scream,” said Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls.

Read More

Arts Remembrance: Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead

October 26, 2024
Posted in , ,

Thanks in large part to the late Phil Lesh’s influence, the performances of the Grateful Dead developed a signature blend of composition and improvisation.

Read More

Concert Review: Tedeschi Trucks Band — Still Growing

October 7, 2024
Posted in , , , ,

Tedeschi Trucks Band demonstrated the difference between actively engaging in a musical tradition versus paying tribute to it.

Read More

Music Festival Review: Metalfest 2024 — A Peak Celebration of Heaviness

September 25, 2024
Posted in , , ,

This year’s edition of Metalfest matched the fabled fests of yore – a point not lost on many of the bands that performed, many of them making note on stage that the metal world had somehow been made right again.

Read More

Concert Review: Sierra Ferrell at Roadrunner — Blending the Rustic and Divine

September 14, 2024
Posted in , , , ,

In performance, singer Sierra Ferrell offered a more expansive vision of her spirited and spiritual approach to country music.

Read More

Book Review: Singer, Songwriter, and Guitarist Robyn Hitchcock — A Man Who Never Left the ’60s

June 25, 2024
Posted in , ,

This unconventional memoir suggests that music can do more than just change ideas or beliefs — it can transform minds, overhaul brains.

Read More

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Categories

Archives